Efrain Rivera-Serrano
Assistant Professor of Biology
Department: Biology
Email: eriveraserrano@elon.edu
Phone number: (336) 278-4861
Professional Expertise
Brief Biography
Dr. Efraín E. Rivera-Serrano ("Dr. E"; he/him) is an Assistant Professor of Biology at พรพรศศ. Originally from Ponce, Puerto Rico, he completed his พรพรศศ studies on the island before moving to North Carolina for graduate training in molecular and cellular biology with Dr. Barbara Sherry at NC State University, where he studied how cardiac cells mount innate immune responses to viral infection. He completed postdoctoral training with Dr. Stanley Lemon at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill investigating how hepatitis A virus enters hepatocytes and establishes infection, followed by additional training in molecular genetics, biochemistry, and science communication.
At Elon, Dr. E teaches Introductory Cell Biology, Human Physiology, Infectious Diseases & Social Transformations, Virology, and Science Communication & Bioethics. In addition to his classroom พรพรศศ, he mentors พรพรศศ students in research projects focused on oncolytic virotherapy, viral evolution, host antiviral responses, and mathematical modeling of infectious disease processes.
Dr. Rivera-Serrano’s investigates how viruses interact with host cells and how these interactions can be harnessed for therapeutic benefit. His lab focuses primarily on mammalian reovirus as a model to study oncolytic virotherapy, viral evolution, and the cellular pathways that determine whether cancer cells are susceptible or resistant to virus-mediated killing. Outside of science, he is a certified personal trainer, an avid long-distance runner, and the proud dad of a pack of rescue dogs.
Links
News & Notes
Education
Ph.D. in Comparative Biomedical Sciences (concentration: Infectious Diseases), North Carolina State University (2016)
M.Sc. in Plant Cell Biology & Biotechnology, North Carolina State University (2012)
B.Sc. in Biology & Chemistry, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico (2009)
Employment History
Assistant Professor (tenure track), พรพรศศ (2023–present)
Assistant Professor (non-tenure track), พรพรศศ (2021–2023)
Social Media Intern and Contributing Editor, American Scientist magazine, American Society for Cell Biology, and Genetics Society of America (2020–2023)
Research Associate (Virology), UNC-Chapel Hill (2019–2020)
Postdoctoral Research Associate (Virology & Genetics), University of California–Davis (2018–2019)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Virology & Cell Biology), UNC-Chapel Hill (2017–2018)
Graduate Research Assistant (Cell Biology), NC State University (2009–2016)
Courses Taught
• BIO1050 — Infectious Diseases & Social Transformations (Winter term)*
• BIO1064 — Biology: The Science of Life (for nonmajors)
• BIO1112 & BIO1113 — Introductory Cell Biology (lecture and lab)
• BIO2122 & BIO2123 — Microbiology for Health Professionals (lecture and lab)
• BIO2412 & BIO2413 — Human Physiology (lecture and lab)
• BIO2770 — Science Communication, Literacy, and Bioethics*
• BIO2970 — Introductory "Sophomore" Seminar in Biology
• BIO3750 — Virology
• BIO4999/HNR4998 — Independent Research
*courses fulfill the Advancing Equity Requirement (AER) part of the Elon Core Curriculum
Research
The Rivera-Serrano Lab studies how viruses interact with host cells and how these interactions can be used to better understand infection, immunity, and therapeutic applications. A major focus of the lab is oncolytic virotherapy, an approach that uses viruses with the natural ability to preferentially infect and kill cancer cells. Using mammalian reovirus as a model system, the lab investigates how viral genetic diversity influences infectivity, replication, immune sensitivity, and cancer cell killing.
Current projects combine cell biology, molecular virology, transcriptomics, and gene-perturbation approaches to identify host pathways that control oncolytic potential. RNA sequencing is used to discover candidate host genes associated with cancer cell susceptibility or resistance to reovirus infection, while siRNA and CRISPR/Cas9-based approaches are used to test whether these pathways directly influence viral infectivity, antiviral signaling, viral protein production, and virus-induced cell death.
Our lab also studies viral evolution and immune evasion, including how reoviruses adapt under selective pressure and acquire genetic changes that alter host-cell interactions. In collaboration with Dr. Hwayeon Ryu in Mathematics and Statistics, we also mentor interdisciplinary projects that use mathematical modeling to study within-host infectious disease processes, including viral myocarditis, inflammation, and cardiac fibrosis.
Lastly, my research group is committed to fostering and maintaining a supportive, diverse, and inclusive environment. We value and welcome every member of our community, regardless of socioeconomic status, physical and cognitive abilities, age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and all other identities. You can find more information on values and expectations for my research students , as well as general requirements .
Current Projects
Current students mentored through BIO4999 or HNR4998 and their projects:
• Elise Butterbach (Biomed Engineering '27, she/her) — Mathematical modeling of viral myocarditis to investigate excessive inflammation in the heart (2025-2027 Lumen Scholar, co-mentored with Dr. Hwayeon Ryu)
• Kalialani Choate (Biochemistry '28, she/her) — Exploring the role of immunoregulatory cytokines in immune responses against viruses (Spring 2026–present)
• Katherine Johnson (Biochemistry & Public Health Studies '28, she/her) — Modulation of reovirus oncolytic potential by targeting the 2′,5′-oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS)–RNase L system (Elon College Fellow, Fall 2026–present)
• Lisa Kranec (Biomed Engineering & Applied Mathematics '28, she/her) — Mathematical modeling of excessive collagen production in cardiac fibrosis (2026-2028 Lumen Scholar, co-mentored with Dr. Hwayeon Ryu)
• Alex Roberts (Biology '27, he/him) — Targeting the type I interferon pathway and Protein Kinase R to enhance the oncolytic potential of reovirus (Spring 2026–present)
• Zach Stein (Biology '29, he/him) — Exploring the antimicrobial effects of human saliva against nonenveloped viruses (Fall 2026–present)
Former students mentored through BIO4999 or HNR4998 and their projects:
• Charlotte Dagli (Biology '25, she/her) — Exploring the use of oncolytic viruses as therapeutic agents against fibrosarcoma (Fall 2023–Spring 2025)
• Alice Efremov (Biology '26, they/them) — Oncolytic virotherapy in conjunction with traditional chemotherapy against fibrosarcoma (Spring 2025–Spring 2026)
• Ethan Grossberg (Biology '25, he/him) — Identifying biochemical constraints during viral evolution for broad-spectrum vaccine design (Spring 2024–Spring 2025)
• Ryder Hutchinson (Nursing '28, he/him) — Exploring the use of oncolytic viruses against epithelial cancers (Spring 2025–Spring 2026)
• Thomas McKiernan (Biology '25, he/him) — Investigating the interplay between immune responses against bacteria and viruses in the oral cavity (Spring 2024–Spring 2025)
• Nivea Millner (Biology & English '26, they/them) — Bridging Science and Society: Open Access, Visual Communication, and Public Engagement with Primary Research (Honors Fellow; Fall 2024–Spring 2026)
• Owen Carter (Weddington High School Senior, he/him) — Image-based quantification of viral infection and cellular morphology changes using computer software (Summer 2025)
Publications
*denotes พรพรศศ student
[2026] Hutchinson JR*, Carter OM*, Dagli CV*, Rivera-Serrano EE. Reovirus reassortants reveal context-dependent oncolytic phenotypes across epithelial cancer cell lines. (Under Revision)
[2026] Dagli CV*, Hutchinson JR*, Efremov AK*, Rivera-Serrano EE. Identification of reovirus reassortants with enhanced oncolytic activity in human fibrosarcoma cells. Virus Genes. []
[2023] Das A, Rivera-Serrano EE, Yin X, Walker C, Feng Z, Lemon SM. Cellular entry and egress of quasi-enveloped human hepatitis viruses. Nat Rev Microbiol. 21:573–589 []
[2021] Rivera-Serrano EE and Lemon SM. Vesicle-mediated transcytosis and export of viruses. Encyclopedia of Virology. 4th Ed. 1, 529–541 []
[2020] Rivera-Serrano EE, Gizzi AS, Arnold JJ, Grove TL, Almo, SC, Cameron EE. Viperin reveals its true function. Annu Rev Virol. 7:421–446 []
[2020] Li C, Shi J, Wang H, Rivera-Serrano EE, Yang D, Zhou G, Sun C, Cameron EE, Yu L. Polymerase fidelity contributes to foot-and-mouth disease virus pathogenicity and transmissibility in vivo. J Virol. 95:e01569-20 []
[2019] Kong W, Rivera-Serrano EE, Neidleman JA, Zhu J. (2019) HIV-1 replication benefits from the RNA epitranscriptomic code. J Mol Biol. 431(24):5032-5038 []
[2019] Yamane D, Feng H, Rivera-Serrano EE, Selitsky SR, [...], Lemon SM. Basal expression of interferon regulatory factor 1 drives intrinsic hepatocyte resistance to multiple RNA viruses. Nat Microbiol. 4(7):1096–1104 []
[2019] Li Y, Wang L, Rivera-Serrano EE, Chen X, Lemon SM. TNRC6 proteins modulate hepatitis C virus replication by spatially regulating the binding of miR-122/Ago2 complexes to viral RNA. Nucleic Acids Res. 9;47(12):6411–6424 []
[2019] Rivera-Serrano EE, González-López O, Das A, Lemon SM. Cellular entry and uncoating of naked and quasi-enveloped human hepatoviruses. eLife. 8:e43983 []
[2018] González-López O, Rivera-Serrano EE, Hu F, Hensley L, McKnight KL, Ren J, Stuart DI, Fry EF, Lemon SM. Redundant late domain functions of tandem VP2 YPX3L motifs in cellular egress of quasi-enveloped hepatitis A virus. J Virol. 92(23):e01308–18 []
[2017] McKnight KL, Xie L, González-López O, Rivera-Serrano EE, Chen X, Lemon SM. Protein composition of the hepatitis A virus quasi-envelope. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 114(25):6587–6592 []
[2017] Rivera-Serrano EE, DeAngelis N, Sherry B. Spontaneous activation of a MAVS-dependent antiviral signaling pathway determines high basal interferon-β expression in cardiac myocytes. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 111:102–113 []
[2017] Rivera-Serrano EE, Fritch EJ*, Scholl EH, Sherry B. A cytoplasmic RNA virus alters the function of the cell splicing protein SRSF2. J. Virol. 91(7): e02488–16 []
[2017] Rivera-Serrano EE and Sherry B. NF-κB activation is cell type-specific in the heart. Virology. 502: 133–143 []
[2014] Stebbing RE, Irvin SC, Rivera-Serrano EE, Boehme KW, Ikizler M, Yoder JA, Dermody TS, Sherry B. An ITAM in a nonenveloped virus regulates activation of NF-κB, induction of beta interferon, and viral spread. J Virol. 88(5):2572–2583 []
[2012] Rivera-Serrano EE, Rodriguez-Welsh MF, Hicks GR, Rojas-Pierce M. A small molecule inhibitor partitions two distinct pathways for trafficking of tonoplast intrinsic proteins in Arabidopsis. PLoS ONE. 7(9):e44735 []
Service Activities
University Committees:
- Advancing Equity Requirement (AER) Committee (Faculty Member, Spring 2026 – present)
- Ad Hoc Scholarship Statement Review Committee (2025)
- Academic Standing Committee (Faculty Member, Fall 2023 – Spring 2025)
Admissions:
- Fellows Weekend Interviewer (2023 – present)
- McMichael Science Building Tour Guide for Prospective Biology พรพรศศ (2023 – present)
Personal Information
Awards
• Teacher of Undergraduate พรพรศศ Travel Award from the American Society for Virology (ASV) to attend the 2026 annual meeting in Minneapolis, MN ($1,000)
• Undergraduate Faculty Travel Grant from the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) to attend the 2025 annual meeting with a research student in Honolulu, HI ($2,250)
• Elon's Innovation Grant (2025) for the proposal "Strengthening interdisciplinary connections across STEM students through community building and professional development," Co-PI with Dr. Hwayeon Ryu ($5,000)
• HHMI Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion inSTEM Project Development Mini Grant (2024) for the proposal "Building a community of Latinx student leaders interested in the healthcare professions." Project Lead along with students Diana Jimenez-Carreno, Daniela Maldonado, Ashley Ramirez-Martinez, and Maximus Garganta, พรพรศศ ($700)
• Elon College of Arts and Sciences (ECAS) Dean Mini Grant (2024) for the proposal "Building a Research Community between Mathematics and Biology," Co-PI with Dr. Hwayeon Ryu ($500)
• HHMI Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEM (2024) for the proposal "Introducing History & Ethics of Biology into an Introductory Seminar", พรพรศศ ($1,000)
• Sustainability Faculty Scholar, พรพรศศ (2024)
• Hultquist Faculty Research & Development Award (2023) for the proposal "Establishing a research platform to study the flexibility and limitations of viral evolution", พรพรศศ ($2,000 stipend + $1,818 research funds)